Seat for circuses and the like.



PATENTED DEC. 18, 1906. y W. H. CURTIS. SEAT FOR OIRCUSES AND THE LIKE;

AIPLIOATION FI'LED JULY 30, 1906.

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" UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM H. CURTIS.- OF GULFPORT, MISSISSIPPI, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- HALF TO THOMAS P. AMBROSE, or OINOINNATI, OHIO.

SEAT FOR OIRCUSES AND TH E LIKE.

Seats for Circuses and the Like, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to seats sustained in terraces on inclined stringers supported on jacks of different heights. The object is to provide means for quickly, easily, and securely sition.

customary to drive stakes, one 1n front of the 3 staying the jacks and stringers, so as'to insure safe and stable seat-supports and to provide forready detachment of the parts preparatory to transporting the same.

Seats used in clrcuses and for similar purposes are required to be set up and taken down quite frequently-every day ordinarily. They are required to bear heavy loads, considered in the aggregate, and the ground upon which they are placed cannot always be as firm and uniform as desired. The jacks are set with a pitch toward the lower ends of the stringers, which causes the weight on the seats to push forward or inward on the string- .ers with a tendency to move the stringers lengthwise and carry the jacks to a falling po- To offset this difficulty, it has been lower end of each stringer; but this, in addition to being a slow and laborious procedure, has not always proved satisfactory. Where the ground is sufficiently solid, the stakes may ordinarily be depended upon to hold the stringers in place but even'then the legs of the jacks are liable to get, off the blocks upon which they are ordinarily placed, thus making trouble by sinking into the soil, and the firmer the ground the greater the labor of driving the stakes.

By the use of my invention the stakes are dispensed with, the stringers are held much more securely than if the stakes were used, the principal jacks are held from moving off their supporting-blocks, and the supporting structure is easily set up and taken down.

In the drawing forming part of this specification an embodiment of my invention is shown in perspective.

A stringer, with its seat-sustainingfbrackets, is shown at 1,while the jacks are designated by numerals 2, 3, and 4. Hooks, as 5, are secured to the inner surfaces of the legs Specification of Letters Patent. 2

Application filediluly 30. 1906. Serial No. 328,420.

PatentedDec. 18, 1906.

of the intermediate jack 3, and other hooks, as 6, are secured to the inner surfaces of the legs of the front jack 2. The hooks 6, but one of which appears in the drawing, are preferably C shape or double, so that they may catch the stay-chains from either above or below; but a simple single hook will ordinarily serve at 5. There Is enough upward pull on the chains to hold them in engagement with the downward-presented hook 5; but at 6 the run of the chain is so nearly horizontal as to make the C-shape hooks desirable.

Hooks 8 and 10 are prefer I An end chain 7 forms a bight around the ably used to hold the end chains 7 and 9 attached to the stringer. Two chains 12 and 13 extend from chaln 7 to chain 9, and they engage with the hooks on the legs of the jacks,substantially as shown. The connection of chains 12 and 13 with chain 9 is made through the large link 11, and a slipring 14 slidably embraces the chains 12 and 13 below link 11. The link 11 is big enough to prevent the slip-ring from slipping off the chains, and a chain 15 may be attached to the slip ring and provided with a hook 16 when it desired to secure the slip-ring in any desired position of adjustment without relying upon the friction developed between the ring and the chains.

In setting up the seat-supports the jacks are connected with the stringers in the customary way. The legs of the acks are, ordinarily at least, placed upon sustainingbloeks, and the compound stay-chain is stretched under jacks 2 and 3. Then the intermediate chains are made to engage the hooks on the legs of the jacks, the end chains are fastened around the stringer, with the entire chain structure drawn as tight as can be conveniently done, and finally the slip-ring is forced downward along chains 12 and 13 to draw the diverging parts together and take up all slack in the chain structure. The chain 15 and hook 16 may be used to hold the slip-ring in position afteradjustment; but friction of the ring on the chainswill ordinarily suflice to accomplish that result. In taking down the seat-supports the above-described operation is reversed, and it is apparent that both operations may be quickly and easily performed without the use of skilled labor.

Arranging a number of stringers in position to sustain the seats and placing the seatboards on the brackets of the stringers are steps obviously required to get a practical result from my improvement; but these steps may be taken in the usual way, except as hereinbefore explained, and will readily be performed by those skilled in the art without special instructions.

The jacks 2, 3, and 4 are triangular trusses each having a stringer-seat in its apex, and when the stay-chains are tightened the stringers, jacks, and chains combine to constitute atruss structure of great strength.

It is obvious that the number of jacks may be varied without affecting the principle of invention, also that the chains may engage a different number of jacks and connect with the stringer at different points.

I do not restrict myself to the proportions and details herein set forth, but reserve the right to all modifications not inconsistent with the principle of the invention as set forth in the following claims.

I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. A seat-support comprising a stringer, jacks sustaining the stringer, and stay-chains connecting legs of jacks with the stringer on opposite sides of the jacks.

2. A seat-support comprising an inclined stringer, jacks of different heights sustaining the stringer, and stay-chains connectin legs of jacks with the stringer on opposite si es of the acks.

3. A seat-support comprising an inclined stringer, jacks of different heights sustaining the stringer, a pair of chains connecting with legs of jacks, an end chain connected with the pair of chains at one end thereof and with. the stringer in front of the jacks, and another end chain connected with the opposite end of the pair of chains and also connected with, the stringer back of the acks to which the pair of chains is attached.

4. A seat-support comprising an inclined stringer, jacks sustaining the stringer, hooks on the legs of jacks, a pair of chains connected with the hooks on the jack-legs, and end chains connecting the pair of chains with the stringer on both sides of the jacks to which the pair of chains is attached.

5, A seat-support comprising an inclined stringer, jacks sustaining the stringer, hooks on the legs of the jacks, a pair of chains connecting with the hookson the jack-legs and converging at their ends, end chains connecting the pair of chains with the stringer on both sides of the jacks, and a slip-ring on the pair of chains, near an end thereof, substantially as set forth.

6. A seat-support comprising an inclined stringer, jacks sustaining the stringer, hooks on the legs of the jacks, a pair of chains connecting with the hooks on the jack-legs, and chains connecting the pair of chains with the stringer on both sides of the jacks, a slip-ring on the pair of chains to take up slack in the chains, and a large link at the conjunction of the pair of chains with an end chain, to retain the ring on the pair of chains, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I sign my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WILLIAM H. CURTIS.

Witnesses:

C. N. BURNS, PLUMLEY DILL. 

